For many people, 2016 will go down as a pretty dismal year. There was political division and the loss of more beloved celebrities than you can count, just to start. So it's not too surprising that more people than ever took solace in turning off the news and watching a little home-improvement television.

Bloomberg reports that HGTV had a record year in 2016, putting it in third place among all cable networks, just behind Fox News and ESPN. Yes, that means more people were watching shows like House Hunters and Love It or List It than news on stations like CNN or MSNBC. HGTV execs say that ratings forFixer Upper, Property Brothers, and Flip or Flop were up double-digit percentages in the first half of the year, and that's even as people ditch cable for Netflix and Hulu.

Advertisement

Related Content

HGTV also has one of the highest-income audiences in cable, behind the Golf Channel, Fox News, and CNN. The average viewer is a woman with a college degree, living in the suburbs, with a household income of $83,600 a year. That means that advertisers pay about twice as much than many other channels to get their ads on HGTV.

So why are people flocking to HGTV? Their hosts are relatable, and have social media feeds that make us feel like we're their neighbors. And seemingly insurmountable tasks, like fully flipping a house, are done in an easy half hour, which is always pleasing compared to obstacles people face in the real world. And finally, the network shifts its shows when the real-estate market shifts, so if people can't relate to finding a pricey new home, they can relate to the need to renovate old ones.

And Bloomberg notes that repetition is a big part of what makes the network so calming, especially in a year with so many ups and downs. After the September 11 terrorist attacks, the network was pulled off the air because execs didn't think it was right to show lighthearted TV. But fans immediately wrote in saying they needed to get comfort from HGTV, and take their minds off the depressing real world. "We're not going to surprise you," Ken Lowe, CEO of parent company Scripps, said. "We're not going to throw you a curve ball. It's not easy to create content that people are passionate about and somewhat addicted to that is somewhat repetitive."

That repetition—home makeover show after home makeover show—makes the show comforting, and perfect to leave on all day. And you definitely can't get that from cable news.